I'm watching an NFL game yesterday and I saw something happen three times that I do not understand. Maybe somebody can help me.

Qb is in the shotgun. Team sets. Flanker goes in motion. While he is in motion, the QB walks towards the line of scrimmage, where he audibles.

The flanker stops his motion, goes back and sets again while the Qb goes back to his shotgun position.

Why is this not a procedure penalty?

The way you described it, it sounds like they got set again before the snap.

If not, then I guess they have a different rule in the NFL.

They definitely got set again before the snap. I'm questioning how you can have two men in motion in the backfield at the same time, and wondering if somehow the QB in the shotgun does not count.

In Fed, you can have two (or even more) people in motion as long as everyone is set before the snap. In the situation you describe it sounds that all 11 players got set, so the play would be legal.

Caveat: I've never seen an NFL rulebook.

At all other levels of play, this is legal. Two players in motion is fine - it happens every play when the offense breaks the huddle - as long as the entire team resets before the snap. Two players in motion at the snap is a foul, as is having two players moving and then one stops while the other keeps moving without resetting before the snap.

What you're describing is a legal shift. All the backs and ends could shift to a new position at the same time and as long as they all reset for a second before someone goes in motion or the snap, no foul.

REPLY: Not to be flip but, if Team A wasn't allowed to have more than one man in motion, how would they ever get out of the huddle? Think about it...

The restriction is only that they cannot have more than one player in motion <b>at the snap.</b>

Bob, that's good thinking right there, that thought didn't even cross my mind.

Thanks for the input.

I thought I described that they were at the line of scrimmage and set.

The flanker goes in motion.

After the flanker moves 10 yards and is still moving, the QB then moves to the line of scrimmage.

Audibles.

Flanker stops moving and sets.

Then they run a play.


I thought once the offense was set, multiple players could shift if they shifted at the same time. Not one player go in motion, then 5 seconds later another player goes in motion.

No restriction on that.

If two are moving, then it's a shift, not motion.

Motion is when only one player is moving.

You can have any number of shifts prior to the snap, as long as all 11 players are rest for at least 1 second prior to the snap.

Remember- if you ever have more than 1 player moving (a shift)- then at some point after that, before the snap, all 11 players must be at rest at the same time.

Thanks.